The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-04-27
INTELLIGENT DOGS.

Animals Who Understand Language-An
Act Of Hospitality-A Musical Dog.
A certain person who was highly
praising an animal, being asked what
remarkable qualities it possessed, re-
piled 1T is ours" No matter how de-
ficient dog may be in all good traits,
his master will readily acknowledg e the
force of his recommendation.
The experiments of Sir John Lub.
book, an account of which has recently
been published, show that dogs possess
considerable capacity for learning the
meaning Of words. Many anecdotes
on this subject might no doubt, be col.
lected. Rover belonged to a gentle.
man in the neighboring town of Union.
One morning surveyor, who was
boarding with his master and was
about leaving upon one of his daily ex.
petitions, was told that Rover might
accompany him. The dog heard the
permission granted and needed nc
further invitation. Having waited
until the surveyor came from the house,
much to that gentleman's surprise, he
Immediately followed him, though this
had never happened before.
A still more remarkable case oc-
Cured in Bremen. A small, shaggy
dog, Dick by name, was accused Of
killing sheep, and was condemned on
the morrow to lose his life. Having
listened to his sentence, Dick suddenly
disappeared, travelling twenty miles to
the town of Washington, where he pre-
sented himself at the house Of his
masters father-in-law. He was nat
urally supposed to have preceded some
of the family, and their non-appear-
ance occasioned not a little surprise.
Some two weeks later his former
master drove up to the door, and was
warmly welcomed by Dick; but when,
at the close of his visit he prepared to
take his departure, the dog had again
disappeared. Dick never returned.
His confidence had received blow
from which it never rallied, and to the
end of his life he remained at his
adopted home. A dog belong
ing to. a relative of the
writer killed a pet rabbit. The
offense was duly explained and its en-
ormity pointed out Ever after, when
the rabbit was mentioned before him,
he would hang his head, look extreme
ly sheepish, and, il possible, sneak out
of the room,
The lower animals, except when the
parental instinct is dominant, are SUI
premely selfish. Nature has taught
them, by severe competition. that, il
they would live at all, each must live
solely for himself. A genuine act OF
hospitality, however, on the part OF
one dog to another, was related to me
by clergyman, who heard the story
from one of his parishioners. A
powerful mastiff was accustomed to
conceal fragments Of food in a snow
drift against some future exigency.
One day he was observed to proceed
thither accompanied by smaller
friend, and to wait patiently until his
guest had satisfied his hunger. Then
he carefully recovered the remnants,
and trotted away as though playing
the host was an every day affair.
Shepherd dogs evince wonderful
memory by their ability to recognize
every member in large flock Of sheep.
We know ola dog that would instantly
distinguish the chickens Of neighbor
from those of his master, and, until
broken Of the habit; would summarily
punish any tresspassing Of the former
by wringing their necks. So, too, a
sagacious farm dog will remember cat
tie even after months Of absence.
Probably the best known dog story
of antiquity is the account from the
Odyssey, Of how Ulysses, returning
from the ten-year siege Of Troy, il
recognized only by his aged and
decrepit dog. Here is not bad paral-
lei Of this ancient tale. A frequent
companion of mine, when boy,
was q large, shaggy dog of a peculiar
blush color. His unusual sagacity
made him at once an excellent guar.
dian and playfellow. He would climb
perpendicular ladder to the hayloft
and enjoyed the game Of "hide and
SEEK as fully as any boy. Shortly aft
er his purchase, while still young
puppy, his master, the writer's uncle
sailed on q voyage, the duration O
which was about year and half. Oh
his return Rover welcomed him bu
coldly. 1t was not expected, indeed
that he would remember a person
whom he had known at so early an ag,
and for so short time. Something
however, about the stranger puzzled
the dog as he crouched near by ant
began to call up old associa
tons; his ears, tail, every move
ment, showed this. Suddenly h
sprang up, leaped upon his maste
again and again in an ecstasy of de
light which seemed to say that h
knew him at last, and wanted to atom,
for the GOODNESS Of his first greeting.
formerly owned dog who's
musical proclivities dismsyed the bold
est Of itinerant musicians. No soone
was hand-organ heard in the vicinit,
than he would seat himself close to tn
instrument and howl . doleful &C